Public Health Workforce Crisis

WhIle everyone talks about it, and this latest report from The Center for Health System Change adds to the data, few in Congress take notice. The media continues to publish stories about the need for more attention to prevention, yet as this paper shows less than 3% of the annual $2.2 Trillion health care dollars is spent on public health and disease prevention, particulalry to enhance the staff needed to carry out the services. Insurance companies only give lip service to the idea but do not reimburse primary care physicians for preventive interventions , except in those instances where intrusive technology is used. There needs to be a close liaison between public health agencies and primary care practitioners, who together will be a more effective force for prevention than either by themselves.